Have you ever had your dog make a massive fool of you in public before? If you haven’t, lucky you. If you have, I feel your pain.
Last October we went hiking at our favorite spot in the area. Everything was the same as it always is, that’s why it’s our favorite – it never changes! Except for one thing: Atlas. Atlas is our youngest pup and was only three months old when we set out for our first hike with him in October, so there was no way he’d make it so far by himself. However, we wanted to include him in the experience which we love so much, which is why I decided to buy him a dog carrier backpack. I know, I know – ‘an owner that treats their dog like a child; what has the world come to?!’, and it appears Atlas thought the same thing, because he absolutely hated it.
As soon as we unpacked his shiny new carrier it was clear that it wasn’t love at first sight for Atlas. So, I let him walk with our older dogs, Khali and Loki, for the beginning of the hike – to allow him to get used to the idea until it was time to go up the bluff; I stuffed Atlas into his carrier and off we went, let the real fun begin! – or so we thought. The further we walked, the more Atlas began to whine and squirm. He wanted to walk with Khali and Loki, but being the tiny pup that he was, we just knew that he wouldn’t manage it.
So, after what seemed like an eternity of yapping and whining down my ear as I tried to enjoy my peaceful hike, we eventually reached the top, where I let Atlas out of his carrier to stretch his legs – I don’t know who was more relieved, him or me! We walked for about twenty minutes until we reached the descent, by which time Atlas was exhausted and it was time to put him back in his carrier (which turned out to be easier said than done).
We knew that Atlas wanted to continue the hike on solid ground, but we just couldn’t let him. He yapped and whined to try to convince me, but we knew what was best for his little legs, and so I picked him up to put him back into the carrier. Simple, right? WRONG. Atlas, being the drama queen that he is, decided to go completely limp as I went to pick him up and put him back into his carrier. It was a Saturday afternoon and the sun was out, so naturally, the trail was packed with hikers – hikers who were already staring at us for the yapping and screaming performance which Atlas decided to put on earlier, but now this?! Thanks a lot, buddy. With a struggle and the added pressure of our newfound audience, I managed to scoop one side of Atlas into the carrier, before plopping him over like a ragdoll and finally getting him secured. We continued our descent. Thank goodness that’s over…
Never mind.
Atlas sprung back into action and was barking louder than ever before. As his yapping and whining intensified, so did the stares of passing hikers – let’s hope they weren’t expecting a peaceful hike as we were!
Fed up by this point, we began speed walking towards camp, which we eventually reached after enduring hours of agony from Atlas. As soon as we made it back, I took Atlas out of his carrier before he cuddled up on me and fell fast asleep. I guess there was a light at the end of the tunnel after all – as after his constant yapping and whining, Atlas was now knocked out for the remainder of the day. Peace and quiet at last!